Today’s sermon gives you the opportunity to think about what cross bearing might look like in your life today, and to commit to some action perhaps a random act of kindness, as a step toward cross-bearing.

Seeing the Judean desert, the wilderness in which Jesus was tempted with my own eyes is very powerful and a blessing, but the better blessing is having these words from the Gospel of Matthew that tell me 100% what happened: what Jesus did for me and you to guarantee your salvation and mine.

Epiphany is the season in the church year that shares the stories of Jesus' life that helped to reveal him to be God's son, the Messiah. Today we look at the baptism of Our Lord to hear how God revealed His Son. Then we look at a story from the early church that shows how that reality gets played out.

What do you call "them?" Some call "them" convicts, ex-cons, offenders, ex-offenders, criminals, inmates, probationers ... while some others call them stupid, bad, hopeless, unlovable, unloved, disgusting, and gross!! At the Community of St. Dysmas, they call them "members." Today, on Christ the King Sunday, we welcome Gerry Rickel, Pastor of St. Dysmas congregation, another community of forgiven sinners, who happen to live in a prison building. Today's sermon is in an unusual format of an interview between Pastor Gerry Rickel and Rev. Dr. Michael McQuaid.

Our veterans are men and women of great courage and humility who have been willing to walk in harm’s way in order to defend and protect the rights and liberties of others. They are not interested in personal or national gain but in the preservation of peace and order. What they do they do in order to protect their neighbors, which is a true expression of Christian love and consequently a Christian calling. They deserve to be honored and recognized for their service to their country and their fellow man.

Sometimes walls sound like such a good idea, such as putting up a barrier to keep the dog out of the new grass you are growing. Other times, we discover those very walls close us in and cut us off from community. What is the good news Jesus teaches us in this story about how to get out of our walls?

In midst of _________, Jesus gives directions and the lepers respond with _________, that demonstrates their _________ in him. Then, they saw the _________ _________, & one returned to _________ the healer, an act which demonstrated the leper’s faith in Jesus’ healing action, which brought _________, otherwise called “_________.” Listen to the sermon online to complete the thoughts.

Sometimes, Jesus’ teachings are easy to understand: for example, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.” But, then there are texts like today’s that can leave us scratching our heads. But, there is a point and the point is there: You can’t love both – so, which will you love?

A shepherd and a sheep, a woman and a coin -- sounds like the beginning of an interesting joke, but it’s not. It’s Jesus’ way of getting at what charges God’s heart and how Jesus calls us to let that guide our actions. Today, on this 15th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks on US soil, we honor First Responders who embody today’s lesson.

Jesus challenges his disciples to let go of those relationships or material possessions that try to shape or become the focus of our lives. Jesus is meant to be our center! Are we willing to let go and let God be in control?

For the time it takes a person to be born and eventually graduate from high school, this lady that Jesus pulls out of the crowd was bent over. In a matter of moments, Jesus heals her. What do we do with the moments we have when we encounter other people?

Today we hear from eight of our youth how they witnessed, experienced and share the gospel mercy during their YouthWorks Mission Trip in Raleigh, NC, June 19-24, 2016. We invest time into teaching our youth this message of love because they live in a day-to-day world, as we saw in the national news this week, where there are many people who resort to violence to deal with thoughts and emotions. In Contrast, Jesus calls us to do otherwise. So, we look to Jesus to teach us how to be good neighbors.

In the midst of a scary world we have answers, don't we? They come from Jesus and him teaching his followers what it means to live as free, baptized, faithful people. How do we teach and show our children who are newly baptized to be followers of Jesus? As parents, the church community and Godparents, we are Called to Follow and become examples for our children and for others.

You never know when or where Jesus is going to turn up. He just might come to visit me or you with an offer of healing and new life with the power to make it happen. May we be open to what Jesus might do in us.

In the midst of the anxieties of life, Trinity Sunday is all about celebrating how God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit live in relationship with each other and model such relating for us. As we place greater and greater trust in the Triune God that Jesus revealed to us as he talked about sending an advocate in his place when he is gone, then we can find our anxiety decrease.

There's trouble all around us: natural disasters, a contentious election season, relationship problems in our personal lives, health concerns and financial challenges. It's hard to see how Jesus can exhort us, "Let not your hearts be troubled," when trouble surrounds us on a daily basis. And truth be told, throughout these chapters in John's Gospel, Jesus himself is troubled plenty of times, from weeping at Lazarus' grave to praying that this cup may pass him in the Garden the night before his death. Yet, in the midst of chaos and confusion, Jesus tells us: DO NOT BE AFRAID. It's a message we find again and again in the Bible (at least 173 times by my count) because as people of faith, we know that God is with us every day, and especially when we are challenged and battered by the ups and downs of life. So take Jesus' exhortation to heart: Let not your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.

"Love one another" says Jesus, again. Do we really need to focus on this message, again? Have we not mastered this command of Jesus already? This call of Jesus is as relevant today as it was in Cornelius and Peter's day 2000 years ago!!

A young Marine loses faith in the midst of war and yet reaches out to fellow soldiers. A religious leader feels like he loses the parameters of his faith and yet goes on a journey with another man who is seeking answers to his faith questions. The modern church loses its footing in a fast-changing world and yet hears an invitation from society to enter into conversation. Will it go?
Sometimes, as lost sheep, we just have to step forward and trust that we are following our master’s voice and do the work for which we feel called.

Jumping into a lake fully-clothed (except in the case of an emergency!) might sound like a silly thing to do, but Peter the disciple does just that. Confused, excited and overwhelmed, Peter recognizes his friend Jesus calling to him, and into the drink he goes. We can shake our head, bemused at Peter’s seeming lack of awareness, but how do we respond to the call of Jesus? Aren’t we, too, confused, excited and overwhelmed? Don’t we too make choices that might seem silly if we stop to think about them?

The stone – it does not usually get a lot of attention in the Easter story; in fact, it is just rolled out of the way. So, what good news can we hear in connection with this stone? What does it have to do with “looking for the living among the dead?” How do you respond to the Easter morning message – like the women at the tomb or Peter and the apostles? Happy Easter!!

The love Jesus showed, and still shows, goes way down deep into the souls of people and brings out a response like Mary's. What Jesus does for people is costly, extravagant, life changing. It goes all the way into death.

A couple weekends ago, some of our middle and high school youth went without food for 30 hours. Not only did they raise a bunch of money, with the help of some incentives to be revealed next week, but they gained a new perspective on hunger. What do we know about hunger, and what does it have to do with a rebellious son?

Being a prophet might sound like a daunting role, one that is filled by someone else, certainly not people like you and me; but what if being a prophet was simpler than you thought? What if being a prophet was not something God left up to those with the loudest voices, but rather, what if God was calling each one of us to be prophetic in our own, unique way?

Some cultural icons have faces that speak for themselves. Einstein? Intelligence. Genius. Science. Bad hair days. Leonardo da Vinci? Art. The Renaissance. Inventions. You get the idea. So what do we think about when we see a rendition of Moses' face. Or Elijah's. Or the face of Jesus?

Consecration Sunday is the day that we reflect on designating something to be sacred that is set apart for God’s use. Designated for God’s purposes. In particular, we look to dedicated our hole selves - time, talent and treasure. How much do you have to concentrate? Is that the right question to ask?

Countless times, people have told me, "Pastor, thanks for the invitation to
come to church, but I really need to get my life in order before I come to
God's house." Though we may want our lives clean and pristine, we fail time
and again. On Christmas night, God comes right into our MESSY lives with
good news of great joy.

Sometimes we come to believe that, as long as we believe in Jesus, life is going to go smoothly, gently and easily. Today's text teaches otherwise. It uses the image of fire in several ways. How does joy fit in?

How do you respond to children? Jesus teaches that his followers are to welcome children. Does that mean we all need to work in a childcare facility? Let’s explore the wider meaning and call to action of Jesus’ teaching.

A fib – not the bad heart rhythm – but a little, white lie, a half-truth. You know, “spin,” “hype,” “politics,” “propaganda,” “hidden agenda” – the opposite of truth; the lack of truth. Jesus said he would send his Spirit of Truth to guide us into all the truth. What is truth?

Today is Palm Sunday, when we remember Jesus entering Jerusalem for Passover. Another person would have processed into this metropolitan city, but in a different way. Whose parade would you have joined? Whose parade do you join every day?

If you get a new illness or injury and need a new doctor, how do you decide which doctor to choose? “Location, location, location”? Least expensive? Most attractive? OR, the one with the most healthy patients? Last week, our second thru fifth graders were taught by parents, grandparents, and/or guardians, along with some “OWLs” (Older, Wiser Lutherans with some additional life experience and/or training in the Bible) how to use the Bible, God’s word. Today, on this busy Sunday as we celebrate this Bible milestone as part of our Household Ministry, we take a quick look at whose word is good.

Jesus teaches and people are amazed. Then, a man stands up and things get weird. Jesus takes action and, again, people are amazed. Are you amazed by Jesus’ authority? Are you willing to trust his authority?

Today, I begin with a personal sharing. Carol, my wife, when we were starting to date, and still to this day, has an uncanny, almost prophetic, ability, to ask questions that go straight to the heart. I believe this ability is a spiritual gift that comes from God, as we see Jesus demonstrate on the much deeper, even miraculous, level in his encounter with Nathanael. Come and See Jesus.

John the baptizer preached in the desert, baptized in the river, ate locusts and wild honey, and a camel’s hair shirt. Is that what we need to do to share Jesus with others – to testify to the light of Christ?

As the bulletin cover indicates, today’s theme is “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Our guest speakers, Matt and Liz (Stinson) Porter will share about their missionary connections with Liberia and Washington, DC.

Talent is one of those words we throw around a lot. But, what talents have you got? Take some time to figure them out, then you’ll know what you have in the way of clout. Who will you honor when you figure it out?

Jesus uses the parable of the bridesmaids, their oil lamps and a long-awaited bride groom. What does it mean to have enough oil in our lamps? Are we going to miss out on something important yet to come? Jesus wants to make sure we don't miss it. The parable itself is our wake up call, an urgent plea for living here and now in the reality of Christ's coming among us.

Freedom means various things in various contexts; but for Christians, and in keeping with the Gospel text for today (John 8:31), freedom means something very specific. It means freedom FROM sin. It means freedom IN Christ. It means freedom WITH Christ. and it means freedom FOR service in the world.

Today, Pat Brady shared his story of how God got his attention and led him to dig his marriage, his finances, and his life out of debt. Pat’s journey started when he and his wife fell to their knees and asked for God’s help. What does God want to inspire you to do by hearing Pat’s story?

Ben Everhart grew up at St. John, serving as an acolyte or training incoming acolytes, teaching Sunday school, playing bells in the bell choir, and singing in the men’s ensemble. Two years after high school, he spent a year traveling with the 2013-2014 Captive Free East Coast team. This experience changed him and his faith. Here’s his story…..

The eternal longing of God's heart was to reach out and touch us. God sent Jesus as that touch, and death was the inevitable consequence. But God's generosity was so great that death itself has become the touch of eternity.

We hear reflections on the 2014 Global Leadership Summit from Pastor McQuaid and 12 other Summit attendees. View highlights of this event that reached about 200,000 leaders worldwide at http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/video_2014_highlights.asp.

In a world filled with noise and empty words, God comes to us as stillness and silence, even to the point that wind ceases (Matt. 14:32). Jesus walks over stormy waters to his disciples, entering their boat and being present with them despite their fears and doubts. Today we are encouraged to lay aside our little faith with its wordy worries, and listen for God, who comes to us as quieting comfort.

When Jesus tries to describe the power of God in parables, he chooses very different images: a bit of yeast being mixed into dough; a tiny seed growing, hidden in the ground. The power of God does amazing things though - raising a huge amount of dough, enough to feed a village; growing into a plant so large it can shelter many. It is a power to grow that acts from within.

It is with heavy hearts that we receive news of a civilian plane downed in Ukraine. Almost 300 citizens and innocent children whose lives were cut short; with thousands more loved ones and acquaintances impacted, and a world community shocked. Today, we reflect on a story about wheat and weeds to see what we can learn....and do.

Many people in Jesus' time didn't want to believe that God took on the form of a wandering carpenter who had friends in low places. Today we are not so different, and often have trouble seeing God working in our lives. As we worship, we practice adjusting our vision to this unexpected God who defies our sensibilities. We see God in bread and wine, in water splashed on foreheads, and even in the faces of others.

Life is full of sweet and sour moments. As God did with Peter and Paul, God in Jesus invites us to trust in him and therefore to practice that trust by feeding his lambs and sheep - those who are new AND old to the faith.